Apparatus for handling articles



Nov. 24, 1942. V,- JOHANNESSEN l 2,303,124

APlQAnA-TUS FOR HANDLING A@Tianguis original'riled May :5, 1940 "fw af ne., n-

INI/Europ 4 KL. JONNESSEN er l Rmv-uw ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1942 APPARATUS FOR HANDLING ARTICLES Vaughn L. Johannessen, Cranford, N. J., assgnor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York original application May s, 1940, serial No. 333,077. Divided and this application July 26, 1941, serial No. 404,116

14 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for handling articles and more particularly to apparatus for creating a seamless sheath of felted brous insulating material on electrically conductive strands.

In the manufacture of insulated electrical conductor strands, particularly such as the wires used in multi-conductor electrical `cables for telephone use, there have recently been developed methods and apparatus for sheathing metal wire with a continuous seamless covering of paper created substantially in situ on the wire. A suitable apparatus ior this purpose is disclosed and described in detail in U. S. Patent 1,615,394 of January 25, 1927," to J. S. Little. In the apparatus there disclosed pulpous material, e. g., paper stock, is caused to for-m a flat narrow ribbon of wet, felted bres about a wire core substantially in the center of the ribbon as formed. The ribbon is folded into acylinder about the core and compacted and integrated" into a substantially seamless sheath about the core. In doing this, the pulp is deposited, to form a ribbon, between parallel deckles, on a foraminous drum, the wire core being laid on the partially formed ribbon and the rest of the ribbon deposited thereover. The flat, wet, pulp ribbon containing the core runs from the drum between a pair of endless belts of felt or the like absorptive material, held together by suitable guide rolls and travelling with the ribbon and its core pressed between them to absorb a portion of the water contained in` the wet pulp ribbon and in some degree to compact and integrate together the ribbon.

An object of the present invention is to simplify the construction, maintenance and Operation of apparatus such as described, by dispensing with one of the two felt belts, and thereby also with the need for means to drive and support the second belt and to maintain it in the necessarily close alignment and synchronism with its companion belt.

This is a division of application Serial No. 333,077, filed May 3, 1940, by the same inventor.

With the above and other objects, the invention may be embodied in apparatus having means such as a sheet of porous absorptive material to receive wet porous articles on one face in mutually spaced relation and means to apply suction to the other face 'of the sheet suliiciently severe f to suck moisture from the portions of the sheet between the articles but not sufficiently severe to suck moisture from the articles through the sheet so that after cessation of the suction the dried portions of the sheet will remove moisture from the articles by capillary absorption without disturbance of the substance of the articles Other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description Iof one embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in whichthe same reference numerals are applied to identical parts in the several figures andin which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation Aofia portion of an apparatus constructed in ac-` cordance withthe invention for forming a seamless sheath of fibrous insulating material upon a wire core;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detailed transverse sec-` tion of the foraminous drum;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal central section of the suction roll; p

Fig. 4 is aisection on the line 4,-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a `section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3; and Y Fig. 7 is a partial View similar to Fig. -1 of Va.

modified form.

Of the embodiment herein disclosed, only so lmuch of the apparatus isshown and described as is required for a clear understanding `of the present invention. For a detailed disclosureand description of the construction and mode `of operation generally and for matters-not specifically disclosed herein, reference may be had to U. S. Patent 1,615,394 citedabove.l The reference numerals herein employed are the same as or related to those of the cited patent. A-

In the apparatus disclosed here wires 69 to be .j coated are drawn by means (not shown) through 1 the apparatus from supplies- (not shown), and pass over guide sheaves 1| and under a foraminous drum lli-partially submerged in a vator tank 50 lled with suitable paper stock. The drum has circumferential deckles between which the pulp from ther stock is deposited in ribbons.

After each ribbon 13 hasbeen partially formed on the down running side of the drum, one of the wires 69 is laid thereon and continues around .i the drum therewith while the rest of the ribbon is formed.

A belt 15, preferably of felt, having -absorptive properties, runs over the top of the drum as shown, under a pressure roller 'I6 to hold the belt firmly against the drum and thence over a roll |80, horizontally back over a guide roll 8| and sl-antingly down between` a pair of squeezing rolls 80 and 85. Thence the belt returns deviously through washing, rinsing and drying means (not'shown) to the drum 16.

As the belt 'I5 leaves the drum I6, the wire 69 encased in the wet pulp ribbon |3 accompanies the belt as best shown in Fig. 2, lying against the under side of the belt, and passes in contact with the belt and on the outer face thereof over the rolls |80 and 8| to and through the squeeze rolls 80 and 85. Emerging from these the wire and its enveloping ribbon part company with the belt and pass off upwardly for further treatment while the belt turns downwardly to return to the drum I6.

VAn essential general feature of the present invention resides in the structure and effect of the suction roll |80 and its associated elements, as shown in detail in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. The body of this roll is a foraminoushollow cylinder |8I, preferably a substantal self-sustaining continuous cylindrical sheet of metal formed with numerous radial perforations |82, and rigidly mounted on heads |83 which are journalled in stationary standards or supports |84 to be rotatable therein and to be driven, if desired, as by a gear |85 by any suitable means (not shown).

A coaxial shaft |99 is journalled inside of the body IBI to be stationary while the body rotates around it and is held stationary by a collar |8'I keyed thereto and having an integral upstanding lever arm |88 provided with an arcuate slot |89 through which a clamp screw |90 passes into the left hand standard |84 whereby the stationary shaft |86 may be angularly adjusted about its axis. The shaft |96 is formed within the roll body |8I with two radially spaced outwardly extending fins or walls ISI defining between them a V-shaped or sector-shaped suction box closed at each end by a transverse wall I92. The four walls I9|, I9I, |92 and |92 extend out nearly to the inner surface of the cylinder body |8| and each is provided with a sealing member |93 carried in a suitable recess in the outer edge of the wall and of some material such as vulcanized fiber adapted to make a suitable sliding fit against the inner surface of the cylinder. The shaft |86 is hollow from its left hand end (Fig. 4) to a point past its center and its bore communicates by way of a radial slot |94 with the interior of the suction box. Air or a mixture of air and water may be exhausted from the suction box through the hollow shaft by any suitable means (not shown). i

Two close-fitting slidable transverse walls |95 and |99 are located in the suction box to be adjustable longitudinally thereof. Each is provided with a suitable sealing member |93 like those carried by the end walls |92 of the box. A threaded rod |91, journalled inthe walls |92 and provided with a squared head |98, passes through a correspondingly threaded bore in the wall |95 and a smooth bore in the wall |96, and thus may be used to adjust the position of the wall |95 in the box without disturbing the wall |96. A similar rod |99 analogously arranged serves to adjust the wall- |95.

In operation a plurality of strands arranged parallel to each other and spaced suitably apart, travels over the sheaves 1| and down under the revolving drum II. They leave the drum a little beyond the top o f its periphery, each encased in a flat, soft wet ribbon of felted paper pulp, adherent to and travelling with the under side of the belt 'I5 to and around the suction roll |80. Ordinarily the suction box is about in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5. However, according to the requirements of a given set of circumstances (ribbon thicknesses, spacing of ribbons on the belt, age of the belt and its consequent porosity, and the like) the effectiveness of the suction may be increased or diminished by tilting the box more or less to the left or right from the position shown in Fig. l where there is leakage of air into the box over the right hand wall since the belt has left the roll before reaching this wall.

The wet pulp ribbons, each containing a wire core approximately in its center, are spaced side by side along Vthe length of the roll with the belt between them and the roll as best shown in Fig. 4. The exhaustion of air from the suction box tends to` draw water from the wet belt substantially uniformly over its width as it passes over the box, and also to suck water through the porous belt from the wet ribbons on its outer face. If the suction effect is strong enough, however, to accomplish this it is found that air also is drawn through the pulp ribbons with sufficient force to inter-mat fibers of the ribbon with the substance of the belt making it difcult to remove the ribbon whole and cleanly from the belt at 85, and also air thus sucked through the ribbon tends to disintegrate the felting of the fibers of the ribbon.

If the suction effect is suitably adjusted, roughly by varying the power used to exhaust from the suction box and accurately by adjusting the position of the box, a condition may be arrived at and substantially continuously maintained, in which the suction will be effective to remove water by direct sucking from those portions of the belt which are not covered by ribbons, and yet will not draw directly through the belt plus the ribbons and so will neither disturb the material of the ribbons directly nor cause them to mat intoI the belt. After the'belt leaves the suction roll, the relatively dry parts of the belt between and more or less under the edges of the ribbons absorb water from the ribbons by capillary attractionto such an extent that the ribbons are dry enough to -be self sustainingly coherent when removed at 85 from the support of the belt.

If a less number of Wires is being handled than requires the full effective length of the roll |80, the width of belt exposed to the suction effect of the box may be narrowed as appropriate by adjustment of position of the walls |95 and |96.

In Fig. '7 is disclosed a modified form of the apparatus above described. The foraminous roll |80 of the above arrangement is4 replaced by a solid roll 8| similar to the other roll 8|. An auxiliary belt 200 of woven wire runs over the two rolls 8| and over the top of the suction box |9| located just back of the first roll 8|. The felt belt 'I5 is supported on this wire mesh belt as the two together pass over the suction box.

While the invention as disclosed and described above is embodied in an apparatus for embedding wires in ribbons of paper pulp, it is not limited to this one particular use but is applicable wherever ribbon-like and fragile strands or other articles of porous material are to be freed of contained liquid without being subjected to possibly harmful or even destructive forces the while.

1, An apparatus for handling articles of wet' ber, a sheet of porous absorptive material supporous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a sheet of porous absorptive material to receive wet porous articles upon one surface in mutually spaced relation thereon, means to distribute a plurality of such articles in such relation on the sheet, and means to apply to the other face ofthe sheet suction sufficiently `severe and for a sufficient period only to suck which comprises a sheet of porous absorptive ma- Y terial to receive wet porous strands upon one surface in mutually spaced relation thereon, means to distribute a plurality of such strands in such relation on the sheet, and means to apply to the other face of the sheet suction suciently severe and for a sufliicient period only to suck moisture fromfV the portions of the sheet between the strands thereon but not sufciently severe nor for a sufficient period to suck moisture directly from the strands and through the sheet, so that moisture will not be removed from the strands directly by the suction but after cessationA of the suction will be removed by capillary absorption into the partially dried portions of the sheet.

3. An apparatus for handling articles of wet porous material to remove moisture ltherefrom which comprises a sheet of porous absorptive material to receive wet porous articles upon one surface in mutually spaced relation thereon, means to distribute a plurality of such articles in such relation on the sheet, means to apply suction to the other face of the sheet, and means to adjust the' severity of the suction to be suinciently severe and for a sufficient period only to suck moisture from the portions of the sheet between the articles thereon but not sufficiently severe n-or for a sufficient period to suck moisture directly from the articles and through the sheet, so that moisture will not be removed from the articles directly by the suction but after cesse.- tion of the suction will be removed by capillary absorption Vinto the partially dried portions of the sheet.

4. An apparatus for handling strands ofr wet porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a sheet of porous absorptive material to receive wet porous strands upon one surface in mutually spaced relatipn thereon,

means to Vdistribute a plurality of such strands in such relation on the sheet, means to apply ported on the same to receive on the free surface thereof wet porous articles in mutually spaced relation thereon, means to distribute a plurality 'of such articles in such relation on the sheet,

and vmeans to apply to the free surface of the supporting member and thereby to the adjacent surface of the sheet suction suiiiciently severe and for a suiiicient period only to suck moisture from the portions of the sheet between the articles thereon but not suiciently severe nor for a sumcient period to suck moisture directly from the articles and through the sheet, so that moisture will not be removed from the articles directly by the suction but after cessation of the I suction will be removed by capillary absorption suction to the other face -of the sheet, and means to adjust the severity ofthe suction to be sumciently severe and for a suicient period only to suck moisture from the portions of the sheet between the strands thereon but not sufficiently severe nor for a sufficient period to suck moisture directly from the strands and through the sheet, so that moisture will not be removed from the strands directly by the suction but after cessation of the suction will be removed by capillary absorption into the partially dried portions Yof the sheet. 4

5. An apparatus for handling articles of wet porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a foraminous supporting meminto the partially dried portions of the sheet.

6. An apparatus for handling strands of wet porous material to remove moisture therefromwhich comprises a foraminous supporting memberQa sheet of porous absorptive material supported on the same to receive onfthe free surface thereof wet porous strands in mutually spaced relation thereon, means to distribute a plurality of such strands in such relation on the sheet, and means to apply to the free surface` of the supporting member and thereby to the adjacent surface of the sheet suction sufficiently severe and for a suiiicient period only to suck moisture from v the portions of the sheet between the strands thereon but not sufficiently severe nor for a suiiicient period to suck moisture directly from the strands and through the sheet, so that moisture Will not be removed from the strands directly by the suction but after cessation of the suction will be removed by capillary absorption into the partially dried portions of the sheet.

'7. An apparatus for handling articles of wet porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a foraminous supporting member, a sheet of porous absorptive material supported on the same to receive on the free surface thereof wet porous articles in mutually spaced relation thereon, means to distribute a plurality of such articles in such relation on the sheet,'means to apply suction to the free surface of the supporting member and thereby to the adjacent surface of the sheet, and means to adjust the severity of the suction to be suiiiciently severe and for a sufficient period'only to suck moisture from the portions of the sheet between the articles thereon but not suiciently severe nor for a suicientperiod to suck moisture directly from the articles and through the sheet, so that moisture will not be removed from the articles directly vby the suction but after cessation of the suction will be removed by capillary absorption into the partially dried portions of the sheet.

8. An apparatus for handling strands of wet porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a foraminous supporting member, a sheet of porous absorptive material supported on the same to receive on the free surface thereof wet porous strands in mutually spaced relation thereon, means to distribute a plurality of such strands in such relation on the sheet, means to apply suction to the free surface of .the supporting member and thereby to the adjacent surface of the sheet, and means to adjust the severity of the suction to be sufficiently severe and for a suflicient period only to suck moisture from the portions of the sheet between the strands thereon but not sumciently severe nor for a sufficient period to suck moisture directly from. the strands and through the sheet, so that moisture will not be removed from the strands directly by the suction but after cessation of the suction will be removed by capillary absorption into the partially dried portions of the sheet.

9. An apparatus for handling strands of wet porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a foraminous supporting member, a flexible belt of porous absorptive material running over the member to receive on the free surface thereof a plurality of wet porous strands in spaced relation thereon, means to distribute such plurality of' such strands thereon in s'i'ich relation, means to apply suction to the free surface of the member and thereby to the a surface of the portion of the belt in conta the member, and means to adjust the sev the suction to draw moisture from the u of the belt between the spaced strands@ but not from the strands, so that moist vr r not be removed from the strands directlybyfthe suction but after cessation of the suction willjbe removed by capillary absorption into the partially dried portions of the sheet. f

l0. An apparatus for handling strands of wet v porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a hollow foraminous cylindrical roller, a flexible belt of porous absorptive material running over the roller to receive on the free surface thereof a plurality of wet porous strands in spaced relation thereon, means to distribute such plurality of such strands thereon in such relation, means to exhaust air from the interior of the roller to create a suction on the adjacent surface of the portion of the belt on the roller,

and means to adjust the severity of the suction to draw moisture from the portions of the belt between the spaced strands thereon but not from the strands.

11. An apparatus vfor handling strands of wet porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a hollow foraminous cylindrical roller, a exible belt of porous absorptive material running over the roller to receive on the free surface thereof a plurality of wet porous strands in spaced relation thereon, means to distribute such plurality of such strands thereon in such relation, means to exhaust air from the interior of the roller to create a suction on the adjacent surface of the portion of the belt on the rollerJ and means to adjust the severity of the suction to draw moisture from the portions of the belt between the spaced strands thereon but not from the strands, the said exhausting means comprising a normally stationary suction box within the roller and effective to exert a suction effect over a portion only of the surface of the roller.

12. An apparatus for handling strands of wet porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a hollow foraminous cylindrical roller, a flexible belt of porous absorptive material running over the roller to receive on the free surface thereof a plurality of wet porous strands in spaced relation thereon, means to distribute such plurality of such strands thereon in such relation, means to exhaust air from the interior of the roller to create a suction on the adjacent surface of the portion of the belt on the roller, and means to adjust the severity of the suction to draw moisture from the portions of the belt between the spaced strands thereon but not from the strands, the said exhausting means comprising a normally stationary suction box within the roller and effective to exert a suction effect over a portion only of the surface of the roller, and the said adjusting means comprising means to adjustably vary the position of the suction box angularly about the axis of the roller. 13 An apparatus for handling strands of wet porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a hollow foraminous cylindrical roller, a iiexible belt of porous absorptive material running over the roller to receive on the free surface thereof a plurality of wet porous strands in spaced relation thereon, means to distribute such plurality of such strands thereon in such relation, means to exhaust air from the interior of the roller to create a suction on the adjacent surface of the portion of the belt on the roller, and means to adjust the severity of the suction to draw moisture from the portions of the belt between the spaced strands thereon but not from the strands, the said exhausting means comprisingr a normally stationary suction box within the roller and effective to exert a suction effect over a portion only of the surface of the roller, and the said adjusting means comprising means to adjustably vary the effective dimension of the suction box longitudinally of the roller.

14. An apparatus for handling strands of wet porous material to remove moisture therefrom which comprises a hollow foraminous cylindrical roller, a exible belt of porous absorptive material running over the roller to receive on the free surface thereof a plurality of wet porous strands in spaced relation thereon, means to distribute such plurality of such strands thereon in such relation, means to exhaust air from the interior of the roller to create a suction on the adjacent surface of the portion of the belt on the roller, and means to adjust the severity of the suction to draw moisture from the portions of the belt between the spaced strands thereon but not from the strands, the said exhausting means comprising a normally stationary suction box within the roller and effective to exert a suction effect over a portion only of the surface of the roller, and the said adjusting means comprising means to adjustably vary the effective dimension of the suction box longitudinally of the roller and means to adjustably vary the position of the suction box angularly about the axis of the roller.

VAUGHN L. JOHANNESSEN. 

